


Revealing the Truth

by aeriamamaduck



Series: Cyrodiil's Child [29]
Category: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Genre: Lies, Loss of Parent(s), Mother-Son Relationship, Parent-Child Relationship, argument, single parent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-12 22:04:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7950889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeriamamaduck/pseuds/aeriamamaduck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was too young to know the truth. At least that was what Minerva kept telling herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Revealing the Truth

Minerva hated this day. Now more than ever.

She closed the door to a home that would never be hers, though Ocato had specified that she was free to remain as long as she needed. It was awful that she would never see him again, one of the few people who had grasped firsthand how she had broken so easily after watching Martin die. Now Ocato was dead too, her greatest ally murdered pitilessly.

Reliving Martin’s death again in the annual ceremony commemorating the end of the Crisis had her feeling oddly numb, but Gaius had wanted to go and there was no denying the pleading in his trusting eyes.

How could he know how the abridged versions of events made her want to run and hide? He was only ten and she had never given him the truth, in spite of his questions. But Guy trusted her.

That added to her agony.

Minerva tried to hide it as they returned home that night, for his sake. His face was alight with wonder in the wake of the rituals and grand speeches, but her heart screamed at her to tell him the truth of why standing outside the temple made her feel sick.

_You lied to him. You took him to the temple and never told him his father had died there. He trusted you._

She heard her son yawn and nearly began to weep, standing in that entrance hall. She felt pathetic, knowing this was her doing. She could have fought for her son’s throne earlier, _should have_ trusted him with some part of the truth rather than telling him his father was a man Minerva considered a brother and friend.

“Mum, are you alright?” he asked, pausing at the bottom of the stairs to look at her, worried.

 _I’m not,_ she thought, meeting his gaze with anguish. _I haven’t been alright in years_.

“…I need to speak with you upstairs,” she said quietly, somehow keeping her voice steady. Martin Gaius, bless him, just nodded, his little brow still wrinkled.

They went into his room, Minerva shutting the door behind her and wondering how on earth she would even begin. Her heart was racing, the anticipation of relief battling with total fear of his reaction. She had lied to him and he would hate her for it. _I cannot keep doing this to him._

She took a shaky breath, cold snaking through her limbs. “Guy…There’s something I must tell you, and it…” Her voice caught and she had to cover her mouth, fearing the sob that threatened to escape. Guy looked at her with alarm and reached out to touch her arm.

“What’s wrong, Mum? Are you ill?”

She uncovered her mouth, wishing for…so many things. “N-no, darling. It’s just…” She sat down on the edge of his bed, suddenly tired. Why, _why_ did she ever lie to him? “Gods, how do I even start to tell you this…?”

He stood before her, hands clenching anxiously at his sides and his voice betraying an inkling of fear. “Tell me what?”

She suddenly grasped his shoulders. “You know I love you? That I want you safe and happy?”

“Yes,” Gaius quickly replied, nodding and staring at her as if he were afraid of her, of what she would say.

Releasing his shoulders, Minerva forced herself to remain calm and not let her tears flow. This needed telling, and she had lied long enough. “Tell me what you know of Saint Martin’s death,” she told him simply.

He frowned at her, confused. “…You were there when he took the form of Father Akatosh. You saw it all, Mum.”

She shook her head, not wanting to hear him speak of it as if it had nothing to do with him. “You say it that way but you _don’t_ know. How can you when I…” _When I kept the most important thing a secret from you? Martin, my love, forgive me._

“Know what?” he asked, an edge of irritation in his voice. “What are you trying to tell me?”

She got up and walked to the window, unable to look at her son. “Guy, that day was…It was the worst day of my life.”

“What do you mean?” he demanded. “The Crisis was over. You helped Saint Martin defeat Mehrunes Dagon. You became a hero!”

She nearly let out a bitter laugh but stifled it in time. “How could I feel like any kind of hero when the man I loved left me forever?”

He was silent for a long moment until he asked in a hushed tone, “…What…?”

Shame forced Minerva to turn and look at him, at the betrayed look that would soon appear on his face. “Fortis was not your father,” she said. “The truth is that your father was the man who gave his life to save Tamriel.”

She looked at him but suddenly felt far from her body, not truly registering his reaction as a dizzying sensation stabbed through her mind but she managed to stay upright. She breathed raggedly and watched disbelief race across his features. “But…” He looked away from her, his shuddering breaths breaking her heart. “Martin Septim was my _father?”_ He finally raised his gaze to hers. “Y-you said…”

“I lied to you.” She clasped her hands together, her voice breaking as she tried to explain. “I lied to keep you safe. You were the only heir to the Empire and that meant I couldn’t keep you completely safe. I saw enemies everywhere and thought…”

“But you lied to me. You _lied_. All this time!” he shouted, tears appearing in his eyes. “You took me to the temple my whole life and you _said_ –”

“I know, darling. I know. I just…” She reached for him, wanting to comfort him. Her explanations meant nothing. All that mattered was that she’d lied to him about the most important thing. “It was too much of a secret for a little boy to keep, and I…”

He jerked away from her, his glare full of fury. “I trusted you. Mum, I had a right to know!”

She nodded, letting her tears fall freely as his anger hit her with full force. “Yes, you did. I was wrong. Gaius, I’m so sorry. I only wanted to–”

“Leave me _alone!”_ he yelled, blinking away his tears and turning away from her. “Get out of my room. Just get out!”

The last word was half a sob and Minerva could feel his hate acutely. Unable to stand it she turned and walked out of the room as quickly as she could, closing the door behind her. She managed to make it to her room before sliding to the floor and biting her fist to stifle her sobs as she wept.

She’d lost them both.


End file.
